Since the start of the national recession more than two years ago, foreclosure rates have spiked across the country.

As the unemployment rate grew, so did the number of people having to walk away from their homes. Nowhere was this more evident than in Davidson County, as hundreds of families facing financial distress saw their homes go the way of foreclosure.

In so many cases, however, people had options available to them other than foreclosure but were unaware of the help that is out there to keep families in their homes amidst tough economic circumstances.

This Saturday, the Lexington Homeownership Center and Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Greensboro (CCCS) are sponsoring a mortgage default and foreclosure clinic to show the public that there are options other than simply walking away and leaving a home behind. The clinic will be held at 29 E. First St. in Lexington from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is free to the public. Counselors will be on hand to answer questions and direct people in need to the best available solution.

“It’s extremely important,” Olivia Gaddy, housing program coordinator for the Lexington Homeownership Center, said. “[Foreclosure] is an urgent matter for Davidson County. We want to keep people in their homes. We don’t want anyone to lose their homes if there are any means available to keep them there. We want holistic families in Davidson County.”

In the past two years, the unemployment rate in Davidson County has doubled to its current rate of 12 percent, meaning thousands of residents are dealing with financial uncertainty. The clinic will help families find alternate solutions to foreclosure through several state and federal programs that are designed to help refinance mortgages. Assistance is available to anyone who lost a job through no fault of their own, someone on disability and senior citizens. One program will even pay someone’s mortgage for up to 24 months while they go to school, and many of the loans are interest free.

“People can reduce their mortgage payments and their interest rates,” said Sarah Hutchinson with CCCS. “We’re here to help families facing financial difficulties for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s a lack of financial planning and understanding what options lead to financial challenge. Our purpose is to increase financial knowledge and assist families in solving current financial problems.”

Foreclosures have steadily climbed in Davidson County since 1998. Ten years ago, the county reported 276 foreclosures compared to 924 in 2009, according to the Davidson County Clerk of Courts office. Through five months this year, Davidson County already has reported 496 foreclosures and there were more than 63,000 across the state last year alone.

“First, it was people who got caught up in adjustable rate mortgages, and when the adjustable rate hit, their mortgages sometimes doubled,” Davidson County Clerk of Court Brian Shipwash said. “Then we stared seeing people who lost their job because of the economy. We’re also seeing people who worked out an agreement with the bank default on that agreement. Its really been disheartening to see, especially when there’s an average of four to five per day.”

For more information or to register for the mortgage default and foreclosure clinic, call 236-1675 or toll free at 888-755-2227. Registration is required to attend.

Staff Writer Eliot Duke can be reached at 888-3578, or duke@tvilletimes.com.